Pastelitos and croquetas got trashed at a CAO Bakery that failed inspection

Miami Herald

a day ago

Croquetas, pastelitos and empanadas not stored to discourage foodborne illness bacteria and equipment that needs more washing contributed to a CAO Bakery & Cafe failing inspection last week.
Inspecting retail and wholesale bakeries is done by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. But a failed inspection doesn't mean a shutdown, so the CAO at 2060 N. University Dr. in Pembroke Pines has remained open.
Inspectors can hit food with Stop Sale Orders and drop Stop Use Orders equipment and areas, however. Inspectors Caridad Delgado and Tasheka Edmond did use one of those powers during the June 9 inspection.
Here's some of what they found:
▪ An 'employee did not wash hands before donning gloves to work with exposed foods.'
▪ Food service area employees were 'not wearing hair restraints while working with exposed foods.'
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▪ Coffee station utensils and equipment need to be washed, rinsed and sanitized every four hours. These weren't.
▪ The outer surface of pans had 'a heavy accumulation of grease buildup.'
▪ Also in the food service area, baked bread on a rack and a container of sugar sat uncovered, unprotected against spit, sneezes or non-food grade substances. The same was true of a container of carnitas in a walk-in freezer.
▪ Still in the food service area, 'Several single use items were stored directly under the handsink's drain lines.' The inspection didn't say if they were also the 'single use items that weren't stored in a protective package or in a manner to protect them from contamination' until usage.
▪ The hot holding unit, which should be keeping food at or over 135 degrees, had a whole lot of food in the temperature dead zone of 90 to 114 degrees: meat pastelitos, ham and cheese pastelitos, ham croquetas, chicken croquetas, ham empanadas, chicken empanadas, Colombian chicken empanadas, beef empanadas, cheese empanadas and papa rellena. All got hit with Stop Sales and were tossed.
▪ Joining all that in the garbage were commercially processed beans in the kitchen, which measured only 126 degrees despite being reheated for two hours.
▪ The 'coffee knock board was stored directly inside the garbage receptacle.'